In the forests of Burgundy, France, a remarkable construction site can be found. For nearly 40 years, a team of 40 craftsmen has been meticulously working on a unique project: the recreation of a medieval castle, using only the tools and techniques available during the Middle Ages.
This remarkable endeavor is called Château de Guédelon—a living laboratory of experimental archaeology, an immersive educational environment, and a fully functional building site. Here, stonemasons, woodcutters, carpenters, tilers, rope makers, blacksmiths, and carters collaborate much as their 13th-century counterparts once did. Every stone that is quarried, every timber hewn, and every roof tiled is done without the aid of electricity or mechanized vehicles; horses and sheer human effort provide the necessary muscle.
A journey back in time
Launched in 1997, the Guédelon project set out to answer a bold question: How did medieval laborers build the massive stone castles that dot the European landscape? With a planned timeline of approximately 35 years, Guédelon expects its dedicated team to remain hard at work for at least another ten years. This timeline is longer than it would have taken a medieval crew, but the Guédelon builders have a unique added duty: pausing their labor to share their skills and insights with thousands of daily visitors who come to watch history being made.
A laboratory of authenticity
Authenticity is at the core of the Guédelon mission. A multidisciplinary team of archaeologists, art historians, and castellologists guides every step of construction, informed by extensive research into illuminated manuscripts, stained glass, historic financial records, and the architecture of surviving medieval castles. Modern machinery is off-limits—no electricity and no engines, just muscle, ingenuity, and, at most, horses and oxen.
Learning from the past
Medieval construction was ingenious but often dangerous, especially devices like the human-powered treadmill crane. As noted in the activity materials provided to young visitors at the 1,425-year-old Canterbury Cathedral, such cranes were “grueling and dangerous,” with philosopher John Stuart Mill calling them “unequalled in the modern annals of legalized torture.”
Guédelon embraces the opportunity to educate while keeping safety front and center. Its remarkable treadmill cranes, including an imposing double drum model capable of lifting 1,000 pounds and rotating 360º, are constructed entirely of wood and operated by hand—but with modern innovations such as brakes. Workers inside the treadmills, as well as the supervisors and those handling the stones, all wear hard hats, and their boots are reinforced with steel toes beneath their medieval-looking costumes. As Sarah Preston, a guide at Guédelon, explains, this thoughtful approach allows the team to balance authenticity with a practical commitment to safety and modern labor standards.
A castle for curiosity
Visitors to Guédelon don’t just witness a castle rising from its foundations—they step into an immersive classroom where the sounds of chisels, the smell of freshly worked timber, and the sight of artisans at their craft bring the Middle Ages vividly to life. Every stone set, beam lifted, and tile fired teaches not only how castles once were built, but why these structures still capture our imaginations. Guédelon is proof that understanding the past requires more than reading about it; sometimes, you have to build it yourself—one stone at a time.
